Desiccating apparatus.



,PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907. M. w. BARSE. DESICGATING APPARATUS. AAPPLIOAATION FILED FEB. 12

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Pa'rENT. omen;

uILLs W. BARSE, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSiGNOR, BY MESNE Assiennnu'rs, To DANIEL RIDGEWAY HENDRICKS, OF BROOKLS ZN, NEW YORK.

DE'SICCAIING APPARATUS.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLS W. BARSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Desiccating Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification,

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the separation of materials containing moisture to withdraw therefrom the water with which they are combined and produce a powdered substance consisting of the solids of the original material. 1

The apparatus may be used to advantage in desiccating articles of food, such as butter, eggs, meat, etc., and is of particular utility in the treatment of milk to obtain the solids therefrom in powdered form. This owdered milk may, if desired, be afterwar s rocombined with water or a liquid containing water with the added benefit, however, of pasteurization, if desired, accomplished durmg the separating process.

My invention involves the provision of apparatus for desicoating materials containing moisture by injectin the materials in' a spray into a reeeptac e from which the air has been withdrawn and to which is con-- nected a suitable exhausting device for carrying off the vapor formed from the water in t 1e injected material, separated preferably entersthe rec'e tacle at the bottom thereof through a suitab e Spraying device, the form of which may vary with the materials to be so )arated. The rece tacle having been ex iausted of air, t e water in the material thus sprayed is immediately vaporized and the continued operation of the pump or other exhausting device draws the water vapor thus formed from the receptacle while the solids of the material dropby gravity to the bottom of the receptacle, where they may be collected in a suitable receiver. Preferably the bottom of the receptacle, though joined to the body portion thereof by an airtight joint, is removable and a pan may be provided restin on this removable bottom to receive the solids which drop therein; lv may also e1nploy a device adapted to be operated from outside the receptacle for stirring the solids collected in the receiver, in order that any moisture remaining therein may be drawn oil in the form of vapor to make the sepa-- ration more complete. As the continued Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 12. 19016 Serial Ito. 300.616.

The material; to be 1 Tatented Dec. 31, 1907.

operation of the amp is, apt to reduce the temperature wit 'n the rece tacle vbelotr that at which the separation is est effected, I provide a heating device which may consist of a heating coil arranged inalcasing surrounding the receptacle and bywhich the temperature within the separating chamber may be controlled as desired.

- l have illustrated in the accom anyin drawings an apparatus which may in the manner a e use ove indicated, but I do not wish to be understood as limited to this. 8,1.-

structure consisting of an annulus A and legs B formed integral therewith. Secured onthis annulus is the se arating chamber C consisting of the cylin rical side wall 0,. the top cand the bottom 0 In order-thatthere shall be no leakage of air into the sepa-v rating chamber, the joints between the an-' nulus A and wall 0 and between wall 0 and top 6 are made airtight.

ticular construction, as various mo ca-. trons can be made therein.

The bottom c l is also secured to annulus A"by an airtight joint, but, in order that the bottom may be readily removable, this is preferably done by inserting a gasket a between the coactin surfaces and providing bolts 0/ which exten' 1 through a flange at'the edge of bo tom 0 through gasket a and into the annulus A.

The bottom 0 of the rece tacle has a sleeve-c formed integral therewit constituting a bearing for a tubular member at its centcrrand D which extends upward ly therethrou h, itsupper end entering the receptacle. of member 1) is so'constructed as to spray the material ilowin therethrough to the recep- Thls end tacle, and for tiis purpose may be covered with a plate d havm many fine openings"- therein.

and adapted to be connected by a detachable The materia enters the member I), by a branch pipe 1 having a valve 6 therein coupling a with a supply pipe 0 so that the pipe a may be disconnected fromthe pipeE- at the coupling (2 to permit of rotating mem-. bor l) by suitable QWOT-(II'IVGD devices mathe manner and tort 1c purpose hereinafter-set forth.

Closing the lower end of memberl).

is a pin through which extends a rod-F 2 This ro isrotatable in the bearingformed by the opening in'plug D and}; 'j

and at its upper end carries a brush G. A s I ring g acts onrod F to hold brush Gr against t e under side of late 41. a On the lower end of rod F is secure a. pulley H, onwhich runs a belt h to communicate rotarymotion to rod F and brush G. In order to cause rotation of tubular memberD a suitable clutch may be provided between pulley H and the mem' her, as for instancea projection h on the pllh ley and a coacting clutch-member k movable ina slot in" plu f tocarry its end into or. out

offthe path 0 'movemen't ofproje'cti'on' h.

MemberDispositioned in its bearing in.

sleeve c b collars 'iand t, the latter of which is detaehably'jsecured on the member 'near its upper end. "lih'rtending radially outward in opposite directions from collar 01, are

from each of-which depend a plurality' ofrodslfiwhich extend down into a pan-'5 "resting upon the bottom 0 of theseparating chamben This pan preferably has anzouter wall and an inner tubula'rmember which, when'the pan' is in position, he close to the edge of bottom 0 and the sleeve 0 respectively.

'--Secured err-the annulusikis a cylindrical casing K forming between'it and thewall c of the receptacle O anann'ularchamber, and 'llicated in this chamberis a coil of piping 7c througEwhi'ch steam 'o r hot water may be led to controlthetemperature within the receptacle C. Entering {the top-c of the recep- 13810190: is apipe'vy'bywhichtl'ie receptacle is connected to a suitable' exhausting device, as the reciprocating pump 'J The operation of the apparatus thus con structed will now'be described. The pump J is first operated tdremove'most of t throughpi'peE to the tubular member D and thenthroughth'e openings in late (Z to the r the ,collectedmaterial from the plate.

receptacle. The openings in p ate (1- operate "to brealr' up the material into fine articles,

so that the materialis injected into t e receptacle in the form'of-a spray. In the evacuated receptacle the water in these fine p'ar tigcles of'the material is-vapo'rized and the solids *thereinclrop-idown into the pan t. Thewap'orthus'formed is drawn off by the pumpand the solids collect in the pan; If

" 1 at anytime the solids'of the material collect plutch-member; 7L2 gnove to bring it into coaction With the projection 7t,- belt h, is then caused to rotate pulley H and with it the tu' bular member D, tlllS member being then e air, from the receptacle C, and the milk or other material-to be'separated is I then admitted 2 v v evlaeot free of the pipe 0 and the stirring'rods *1? carried by' the member D agitate the powdered material collected in pan 2' so that allof the particles thereof are again exposed and; any

moisture remaining therein is vaporized and drawn oil". The rate at which the milk is admitted to the, receptacle can be controlled bythe valve 6 or other suitable means and shouldbe regulated with respect to the capacityof the exhausting device so that the vapor will not becometoo dense within the receptacle, since otherwise. the separation would be slow and incomplete. If the vapor is drawn off by the pump as soon as it is formed, the separation will be ractically complete and the solids of the mil or other material will collect in the pan 1*; when the pan is full, the bottom 0 0i the receptacle can be removed by Withdrawing the bolts 0/ and the pan emptied.

Since it may ha pen that some of the solv ids of the materiav which is being separated will be carried over with the air and vapor bythe exhaustingdevice, especially when the material is admitted to the receptacle more rapidly than usual, I prefer. to provid a colciprocating. pump. This collector prefer ably consists of a box Lhavinga removable cover Z fitting tightly down upon the box and havingjtherein an opening covered by a screen l' of very fine mesh, so fine that'none of the solids of the material can be carried through. A ipe Z connects the pump to the box L so t at the pum exhausts throu h the box." After a perio of operation, 't epump is stop ed, the cover Z taken-ofi, and

the solidsint eboxLremoved- The screen- Z is of such fine mesh that itshould berow slot therein and connected to a source of supply of com ressed air, a suit ble handle being provide for moving the cl aner over the 'screen'l".v

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In a desiccating apparatus, an air-tight receptacle, a sprayer entering the bottom thereoflits end extending above the bottom of the receptacle, a pan for receiving the desic- ,cated material supported on the bottom of the receptacle below said end, means for supplying the material to be desiccated to said sprayer, anda pump connected to the upper portion of the receptacle for exhausting air' and vapor therefrom, substantially as set forth.

,Zffiln a desiccating apparatus, an'aintight receptacle, a casing inc osing, the ,same but "separated therefrom, piping forwcarryin'g a "heating medium located in the space between the receptacle and the casing, a re movable bottom for the receptacle, a tube passingthrough the bottom and extending ,aabove the same, said tube having a plurality of fine openin s in its up er end, a pan sup- 1 0 ported on the ottom of t 1e receptacle, and a *t pump connected to the upper portion of the receptacle for exhausting air and vapor therefrom, substantially as set forth.

3. In a desiccating apparatus,.an air-tight receptacle having a removable bottom, a ro- ,tatabIe tube extending through said bottom;

' means for carrying the material to be -desicy:cated tosaid tube, a detachable coupling in said means, means forspraying the material to be desiccated into said receptacle through said tube, means carried by said tube within the rece tac'le for stirring the desiccated material co lected upon the bottom of the receptacle, devices for rotatingsaid tube, and a pump connected to the upper portion of the i receptacle. for exhausting air and vapor therefrom, substantially as set forth.

4. In a desiccating-apparatus, an airtight receptacle, means for admittin thereto the Q0 material to be desiccated in t e form of a spray, 'a receiver for the desiccated material at the bottom of the receptacle, means operated from outside the receptacle for stirring the material in said receiver, and a vacuum pump connected to the upper end of the re ceptacle, substantially as set forth.

5. In a desiccating apparatus, an airtight I cleaning said nozzle, means for rotating the brush from outside the receptacle, a pump connected to the upper end of said receptacle, and a receiver for the desiccated material, substantially as set forth.

6. In a desiccating apparatus, an airtight receptacle, means for admitting to the receptacle the material to be desiccated in the form of a spray, a vacuum pump connected to the receptacle for exhaustin air and vapor therefrom, and means for co lecting the solids draWn from the receptacle by'said pump consisting of a box connected to the'pump and having a fine mesh screen forming one, side thereof to facilitate cleaning the screen by means of an airblast, substantially as set forth.'

This specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of January, 1906.

'. MILLS W. BARSE.

Witnesses:

I. MoINTOsH, I D. S. EDMoNDs. 

